Elmhurst College put a question on its admissions application that won’t appear on any other school's application....."Would you consider yourself to be a member of the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered) community?”.....That optional question makes Elmhurst the first school in the country to ask applicants about their sexual orientation or gender identity, the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Prospective freshmen and transfer students applying for the 2012 fall semester will become the first group of applicants to check “yes,” “no” or “prefer not to answer.” Their answers will not play a role in the admissions process.

A “yes” answer could put students in line to qualify for a scholarship worth one-third of tuition at the private, liberal arts school affiliated with the United Church of Christ, said Rold....The college also plans to direct students to groups or resources to help them feel more comfortable on campus.

COMMENTS:
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John Adkins
"mission to increase diversity"? then why don't they recruit and admit some
students who may actually vote for a republican one day?
· Reply · 2 hours ago
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Justin Bubba Strohman · El Paso, Texas
This is teaching the next generation that one doesn't need to work hard in highschool and be the best..it sounds like just being gay is good enough..at this rate students won't get letter grades, they'll be replaced with gold stars and smiley faces.
· Reply · 2 hours ago
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Ted Hales · Service Writer/ Tech/Master Coffee Engineer at Redwood Harley Davidson
No Straight White Males need apply.
· Reply · about an hour ago
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Tom Nate · Owner at RCS Buying Group
This is more Liberal BS from Academia! Scholarship should be based on academic achievement, grades and performance to "earn" the scholarship, not be given based on race, sexual orientation, or need for diversity! This is why our education system is failing our students as more emphasis on being politically correct rather than producing highly educated prospective leaders of the future! (of course then we have to debate the more and more liberal curriculum being taught by mostly liberal professors are our nations colleges).
· Reply · about an hour ago
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William R. Smith · Top Commenter · Industrial and Mfg. Engineer at Self Employed Contractor
who would have ever thought you can earn a Bachelor's degree for taking it up the Hershey Highway....
· Reply · 49 minutes ago
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Marc Kortlander · Top Commenter · Nymex U
another looney toon left leaning school. it's no wonder so many college grads find it tough to find employment without continuing on to grad school. the liberal arts degree that schools like this issue are almost useless these days.
· Reply · 2 hours ago
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Mike Kennedy · Creighton University
I'm thinking of the Movie "Soul Man". How do you make sure someone is not lying so they get scholarship?
· Reply · 2 hours ago
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ljs96076 (signed in using Yahoo)
trust me, there is PLENTY of faculty with the expertise to validate the claims
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SaintLouieWoman

08-25-2011, 01:47 PM

Eeek, to think I almost attended school there. The rumbling sound you hear is my grandmother and other relatives rolling in their graves. They were members of the old Evangelical and Reformed Church (at the time a church that held services in both German and Engish). It was a very conservative church til they merged with the United Church of Christ. I would never be comfortable in that lib church anymore. I guess it's true, you can't go home or return to the things treasured in your past.

Bailey

08-25-2011, 02:12 PM

On a side note: I love it when you hear those commercials for companies that say "Affirmative action and equal opportunity employer" Well which one is it? you cant be both. :mad:

fettpett

08-25-2011, 02:19 PM

see now this kind of crap is BS. with Technology, all applicants to any school should be electronic and use a number system when determining acceptance, no names, races, gender, orientation or anything of that nature, just grades and whatever essay they want submitted.

noonwitch

08-25-2011, 04:24 PM

It's a private school. The scholarship money is also privately-funded. Who cares?

I wonder, though, if they have a designation for the bi-curious? We are talking about college students, after all.

CueSi

08-25-2011, 09:56 PM

see now this kind of crap is BS. with Technology, all applicants to any school should be electronic and use a number system when determining acceptance, no names, races, gender, orientation or anything of that nature, just grades and whatever essay they want submitted.

Ugh... How can a college ask me that?! To me, that's none of their business. DAMN.

~QC

Rockntractor

08-25-2011, 10:11 PM

Ugh... How can a college ask me that?! To me, that's none of their business. DAMN.

~QC

A public school would have no right, a private school does.

CueSi

08-25-2011, 10:25 PM

A public school would have no right, a private school does.

Well, being this is a college that may lean liberal. . . they're probably going to assume that I want to join the stupid little LBGT cliques and sit through their lectures on bullying and stuff. I want to be treated like everyone else, so let's not sit through the awareness bullshit. Just let me go to class like everyone else. I don't want scholarships, or extra help because I'm configured a certain way. Don't step in unless I get my ass beat or I'm treated like shit because of my sexuality. Or my politics, for that matter. :p

I guess b/c i remember the LGBT club meetings being so dreary, and having to lie about going to College Republicans later on.

~QC

Rockntractor

08-25-2011, 11:31 PM

Well, being this is a college that may lean liberal. . . they're probably going to assume that I want to join the stupid little LBGT cliques and sit through their lectures on bullying and stuff. I want to be treated like everyone else, so let's not sit through the awareness bullshit. Just let me go to class like everyone else. I don't want scholarships, or extra help because I'm configured a certain way. Don't step in unless I get my ass beat or I'm treated like shit because of my sexuality. Or my politics, for that matter. :p

I guess b/c i remember the LGBT club meetings being so dreary, and having to lie about going to College Republicans later on.

~QC

I can see where that would be annoying, it sounds lie a good school to stay away from.

noonwitch

08-26-2011, 09:39 AM

Well, being this is a college that may lean liberal. . . they're probably going to assume that I want to join the stupid little LBGT cliques and sit through their lectures on bullying and stuff. I want to be treated like everyone else, so let's not sit through the awareness bullshit. Just let me go to class like everyone else. I don't want scholarships, or extra help because I'm configured a certain way. Don't step in unless I get my ass beat or I'm treated like shit because of my sexuality. Or my politics, for that matter. :p

I guess b/c i remember the LGBT club meetings being so dreary, and having to lie about going to College Republicans later on.

~QC

It's a UCC school, it's about as liberal as it gets outside of the Quakers or Cal Berkeley.

It's not just about student organizations, it's also about financial aid. There are scholarships for gay kids through various foundations.

fettpett

08-26-2011, 09:52 AM

It's a UCC school, it's about as liberal as it gets outside of the Quakers or Cal Berkeley.

It's not just about student organizations, it's also about financial aid. There are scholarships for gay kids through various foundations.

Then let the student apply for them on their own. The school wants to tell the students in general about them, fine, but the school doesn't need to know sexual orientation any more than they need to know political stance or race or gender on application to the school.

Novaheart

08-26-2011, 11:19 AM

Then let the student apply for them on their own. The school wants to tell the students in general about them, fine, but the school doesn't need to know sexual orientation any more than they need to know political stance or race or gender on application to the school.

They may not need to know it, but there is no law that I am aware of forbidding the asking. Like it or not, Americans like to study themselves and social dynamics. Our national census asks questions which are unrelated to apportionment and military readiness AND ALWAYS HAS. Most mainstream colleges like to be able to show that they have at least a representative sample of the general population. That doesn't stop other colleges from going the other way, and specializing in or emphasizing a special environment where your political or religious bigotry won't be challenged, or which was once a haven for an oppressed group and now celebrates its heritage as a haven for an oppressed group.

noonwitch

08-26-2011, 12:46 PM

Then let the student apply for them on their own. The school wants to tell the students in general about them, fine, but the school doesn't need to know sexual orientation any more than they need to know political stance or race or gender on application to the school.

The schools all help students find scholarships that they are eligible to receive. It's what a financial aid officer does all day. It doesn't apply to political stance-young republican or democrat scholarships are usually handed out to students already in the organization, or students who apply or participate in some kind of contest.

The NAACP and SCLC give scholarships to minority students, Strker's foundation does the same for GLBT students.

Elspeth

08-26-2011, 02:25 PM

Even some academic types are uncomfortable with this. The following comments are from The Chronicle of Higher Education, the trade paper for universities and colleges. Mostly liberal following (though not all) but you'd be surprised what some folks are worried about.

Although I don't doubt Elmhurst's good intentions, I am skeptical of any such approach that seeks information (even on a voluntary basis) about an aspect of personal life which unfortunately remains a focus of public controversy. DADT in the military never worked as it was intended, and it has rightly been discarded; but it was passed in recognition that the very asking would imply both disapproval and disqualification. I hope that Elmhurst will not find that many of the people it is seeking to assist suspect a darker, sinister motive in what the college is asking them.

12 people liked this.

skmarie17 2 days ago
The manner in which the question is posed causes me great concern. Straight students who are members of Friends of GLBT, PFLAG, etc. would probably answer this question in the affirmative. It seems very likely that "no" answers would be interpreted, sadly, as a clue to the at least latent homophobia of the student. If one considers himself not part of this "community," it will be assumed that he is opposed to the community. Look at the way answers to sexual assault questionnaires are manipulated by politicos. There is no way I would answer this question.

6 people liked this.

tbstoller 2 days ago in reply to skmarie17
Why is not being part of a "community" equated with being opposed to it? I am not part of the adoptive parent community, the Chinese-American community, the triathlete community, etc. but I am not opposed to any of them. Skmarie, I realize that you do not think this way, either--you were just pointing out a common thought pattern.

If they want to make students aware of scholarship and club opportunities, why not use the same method of all the other scholarships and clubs? I think they are actually trying to collect statistics and make a point about the openness of their campus to LGBT students.

3 people liked this. Like

pragmatist 2 days ago
I would wish to answer "NOYDB" for "None of Your Da**ed Business." This is more useless drivel with which society will continue to be burdened, and continuing to bring such nonsense to the forefront only serves to further divide our society.

16 people liked this.

11272784 2 days ago
So now, we wait for the conservative lawsuit that says they are discriminating, and the liberal lawsuit that says they're invading privacy, right? "Dualing" lawsuit time.

1 person liked this.

mxb22 2 days ago

So you may be eligible for a scholarship if you answer yes to LGBT because that's an underrepresented minority group. How about if I say I'm a Jehovah's Witness? Do I get money for that? I'll bet they're underrepresented at Elmhurst, along with Hasidic Jews, Montana cowboys and Marine Corps vets. If I get admitted because I say I'm LGBT, do I have to prove it? What a mess.

14 people liked this.

anonytrans 2 days ago
Aside from the issues of sexual orientation, I applaud Elmhurst for asking students about their self-identified genders instead of assuming their legal sex will reflect this information. I've known many transgender students who have stressed over how to mark the questions about sex or gender on college applications, and this goes a long way toward schools recognizing students' sense of self rather than imposing institutional labeling.

1 person liked this.

navydad 2 days ago
Just curious, does Elmurst have any reason to believe that LGBT students are "underrepresented" on their campus?

6 people liked this.

janesdaughter 1 day ago
"Elmhurst’s question is unique because it concerns a student’s identity,
as opposed to just his or her interest in a particular issue," but we also learn that the question appears in a section that also asks about religion and language. Why would religion or speaking other languages at home NOT be part of one's identity?

2 people liked this. Like

5768 1 day ago
"We ask a lot of questions in admissions, so we thought, why not ask about this, too?”

Why not simply return to mass administration of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory or similar to each incoming student if what you want is to ask questions? If it is "diversity" information that is being developed here, it is just as much a tendency toward personal profiling that could be objected to.

That faculty search committees cannot ask questions of future coworkers while administrations can ask the same off-limit questions of each and every entering student is noteworthy. If coworkers are hired to fulfill a work function and not have their lives pried into, students evidently have additional functions to administrations than that of securing an education.

Like

Richard Livingstone 1 day ago
Will #GW be next?

pketo1 1 day ago
Colleges asking incomming students what their orientation is helps match a gay student to appropriate housing, which is tremendously important considering what might happen if a gay freshmen entering college (which has never experienced dorm life before) is placed in a house with other students that may or may not accept their orienattion. that is huge. i know from being a freshmen, new to college and seeing the hate against gay students. some people can be really mean to each other, especially at that age (17-19 years old). That immature and childish side of the student is still there and it comes out in innapropriate ways. Not to say all students who are gay have a hard time upon entering college. I am in support of colleges asking incomming students what their sexual orientation is. It's mightely important. It affects their entire soical and emotional wellbeing.

I rather like this statement, “In the next 10 years, we’ll look back and ask why colleges didn’t make this change much sooner.”

Terrific move on behalf of Elmhurst.

willismg 1 day ago in reply to pketo1
OR.. I can mark it that I'm gay so I can petition to be roommates with my girlfriend...

There just seems to be so many reasons to scam this that I can't believe that this isn't some kind of hoax article planted to give us some enjoyment on a long Wednesday afternoon at the beginning of the semester.

2 people liked this.

anonytrans 1 day ago in reply to willismg
Uh, I think "appropriate housing" is more likely to mean rooming with other LGBT-identified students than making sure each student is housed with someone of a gender they aren't attracted to. How exactly would that work with bisexual students, anyway?

profperf 1 day ago
As a member of the LGBT community myself (though I sometimes don't feel much like a member of any community--that's another problem with the wording--it privileges the social over the personal in identity), I still hesitate on this one--for one thing, the typical adolescent applying (as opposed to an older non-traditional student) may be trying to figure this out. While I realize that, as someone over 50, my coming out in grad school is later than many of the young folk today do, I wonder if the question, well-intentioned as it might be, might reify all kinds of assumptions about sexual identity and also suggest a kind of hyper-surveillance. Maybe a better time to ask the question would not be on an admissions application, but after a student has chosen to attend--either for housing options (we have an LGBT residential community on campus here for those who wish to live in one) or for information about affinity groups. Also, as any number of LGBT high school students may not yet be out to family or friends, there could be serious consequences if somehow they respond yes, and material gets sent to them and parents see it. They can, of course, simply answer "No" (perhaps lying) or "Prefer Not to Answer" (which, while it could be seen as a principled stand against invasive questions, could also be a dodge), but that could also give them a bad sense of self and community with which to begin their college life.

4 people liked this.

willynilly 1 day ago
This seems like a very stupid, more trouble than benefit, idea. If I were an enrolling student (and I would never be one because of this question) I would request that the admissions office provide me with the sexual orientation of every administrator, every faculty member and every member of the professional support staff. The basis of my request would be to determine if I was a good fit with this institution. I think it would be be essential that at the very beginning of the admissions transaction that there would be complete transparency. If Elmhurst wants me to reveal my sexual orientation, than Elmhurst should be more than willing to reveal their collective sexual orientation to me.

3 people liked this.

navydad 1 day ago
"Those who answer “yes” will be eligible for Elmhurst’s Enrichment
Scholarship, which the college gives to about 100 incoming students each
year. The award, which covers a third of the college’s tuition, has
traditionally gone to underrepresented minority students."

No one has addressed the question, so I'll ask it again: on what basis has Elmhurst concluded that LGBT students are underrepresented? This is separate from the issue of asking students about their sexual orientation in order to provide better services.

2 people liked this. Like

wineslob

08-26-2011, 06:08 PM

It's a private school. The scholarship money is also privately-funded. Who cares?

I wonder, though, if they have a designation for the bi-curious? We are talking about college students, after all.

Doubt it. I'd almost bet that they get funding for being more diverse, as long as they prove it. That or it's a recruitment ploy for a Vivid Video.